Pooh-poohing global warming off base

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

By MARCIA B. BAKER
GUEST COLUMNIST

In October I attended my class reunion at University High School in Urbana, Ill., where George Will and I were students eons ago. Hanging in the hallway was an article about him. Although I've often disagreed with his viewpoint as expressed in his writing, Will's pieces are usually thought provoking, for they display the critical thinking, based on solid information, that Uni High emphasized.

Will's Dec. 23 column on climate change, therefore, came as a major disappointment ("Political broadside as entertainment").

The column began with comments on Michael Crichton's new work of fiction, "State of Fear," in which the novelist has concocted a thrilling story of ecoterrorism practiced by fanatic climate scientists. The real theme of Will's column is that climate scientists do not understand enough to make predictions about future climate change and their warnings are primarily merely ploys ("that require no supporting data," to quote him) to increase their own research funding.

This conspiracy theory flies in the face of hard evidence of climate change in recent decades. The global mean temperature rise of less than 1 degree C in the past century does not seem like much, but it is associated with a winter temperature rise of 3 to 4 degrees C over most of the Arctic in the past 20 years, unprecedented loss of ice from all the tropical glaciers, a decrease of 15 percent to 20 percent in late summer sea ice extent, rising sea level and a host of other measured signs of anomalous and rapid climate chang

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/206663_willrebuttal.html

[BBG]

1. Rebutting the Nay-Sayers and Media Evil Doers

Now if only more would read it with comprehension while paying attention to the author's credentials as opposed to the bombastic journalism of Mr Will.

[yellowcanine]

2. But Crichton's novel had GRAPHS - it must be a scientific source! When

I read that in Will's column, I almost fell off my chair laughing. I used to think that Will was somewhat intellectual but that statement destroyed any notion that he has any scientific understanding at all.

on edit:

And don't forget that Will was one of the pundit class who jumped on the Pons and Fleishman (cold fusion) bandwagon early on. Not that he was the only one.

[struggle4progress]

3. kick